great grammar quotation marks - films

Teacher’s Guide

Great GrammarQuotation

MarksGrades 5-9

QMTV

CREDITS

Program Produc t ionSunburs t V i sua l Media

Teacher ’ s GuideKr i s t ina Jackson, M.Ed.

Pr in t Mater ia l Des ignJu l ie Fong

© 2004 Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLCHawthorne, NY 10532

Approximate running time: 17-25 minutes

Great Grammar: Quotation Marks

© Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLC Great Grammar: Quotation Marks

Table of Contents

Guide Information..................................05

Fast Facts ..............................................07

Before Viewing Activities ........................08

During Viewing Activities ........................11

After Viewing Activities ..........................14

After Viewing Quizzes ............................17

Additional Resources ..............................19

Answer Keys ..........................................26

Script ....................................................31

© Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLC Great Grammar: Quotation Marks5

About This GuideProviding students with visual media is an excellent way to take them out of the classroom and into the real world. Our programs offer real-world footage, dynamicgraphics, engaging dramatizations, and first-person testimonials that keep studentsinterested and help them visualize difficult concepts. More importantly, they reinforcecritical learning objectives shaped by state and national educational standards. However,the learning doesn’t begin and end when the program does. You can make the learningexperience even more effective by using the materials provided in this Teacher’s Guide.

GuideInformation

This guide is divided into the following sections:

• Fast Facts are designed to give your students a quick overview of the information presented within the video.

• Before Viewing Activities help identify what students already know about the subject, what they are curious about, and what they hope to learn.

• During Viewing Activities may be used during viewing to enhance students’ understanding of the video.

• After Viewing Activities help students summarize and draw conclusionsfrom the information that was presented.

• After Viewing Quizzes test students’ retention of the information presented in the program and activity sheets.

• Additional Resources are designed to help you extend the information presented in the program into other areas of your curriculum.

• Answer Keys are provided for relevant activities or reproducible pages.

• Script content is provided in an unabridged version for future reference.

Great Grammar: Quotation Marks © Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLC

GuideInformationProgram Overview

The Great Grammar: Quotation Marks DVD/video provides an informative andinteractive approach to learning the rules of quotation marks. Examples of varioususes for quotation marks are given in the form of famous quotes from FrederickDouglas to Mark Twain, which helps students understand everyday authentic usageof quotation marks. The DVD/video also discusses and warns students of theseriousness of plagiarism, the use of complete thoughts, and checking your workfor grammatical mistakes when writing.

Viewing ObjectivesAfter viewing the DVD/video and utilizing the activities provided in the teacher’s guide, the students will be able to:

• Identify most common uses for quotation marks:

- direct quotations

- interrupted quotes

- a quotation within a quotation

- chapters of a book

- titles of poems, songs, and short stories

• Give examples of each common use for quotation marks

• Give proper placement to periods, commas, question marks, colons, and semicolons with quotations

• Know grammar rules for periods, commas, question marks, colons, and semicolons

• Know the definition of plagiarism

• Identify and properly place dialogue tags within a quotation

• Tell the difference between direct and indirect quotes

6

Fast FactsFast Facts


• Quote is short for quotation.

• Quotation marks are used in direct quotations; interrupted quotes; a quote within a quote; chapters of a book; and titles of poems, songs, and short stories.

• Plagiarism is passing off someone else's words as your own.

• Most quotation marks are used for direct quotes.

• Quotation marks always travel in pairs.

• Periods and commas are usually placed inside quotation marks.

• A comma is used to separate a quote from the rest of the sentence.

• A comma is placed before the closing quotation mark.

• Dialogue tags identify the speaker of a quote.

• Commas are used to separate the dialogue tag from the quote.

• Question marks are placed after the closing quotation mark except if applied in the quotation.

• Colons and semicolons are placed outside the closing quotation mark.

• Colons are used to separate an independent clause from a direct quote.

• Quotation marks are not used for indirect quotes.

7

Great Grammar: Quotation Marks © Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLC8

Name Before ViewingActivity 1

KWL ChartFill in the chart. In the "K" column, fill in facts and examples of what you already knowabout quotation marks. In the "W" column, write questions about quotation marks.Complete the "L" column after viewing and/or discussing the DVD/video with new factslearned and answers to questions.

K W LWhat Do I Know? What Do I Want to Know? What Did I Learn?



Common Proofreading Symbols

9

Fix the paragraph using the proofreading symbols provided.

One day Tom and Bob walking to school. They saw a gray fuzzy thing behindthe tree

Tom said, "Look at that squirrel.Bob replied "I don't think squirrels are that big"Just then they both heard meow then a rustle in the brown and red leaves.Squirrels don't make that sound either, Tom said with a strange look on his face.They both decided that it had to be something else and went behind the tree to

see it up close. When before they could reach out to touch it, Bob felt a lick on hisfingers and hand.

This is definitely not a squirrel, they both said as they picked up their newdiscovery and carried it to school for show and tell.

Insert a comma here That teacher I tell you is the toughest.

I couldn t remember where I put the keys.

Insert item here I ice cream every night.

Use double quotation marks My favorite story is Ruby.

Use a period here He ate everything on his plate

Delete She has has beautiful clothes.

Transpose elements Sally only ate the green candies.

Close up this space I saw a butter fly.

A space is needed here I need to domy homework.

Make letter lowercase You should Proofread all your work.

Capitalize letter My favorite month is april.

Begin new paragraph “I love it,” I said. “I thought you would,” she replied.

Apostrophe or single quotation mark needed



What Do You Know About Quotes?Write C for correct or I for incorrect after each famous quote.

1. “Nothing is particularly hard if you divided it into small jobs,” said Henry Ford. ____

2. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, who said, “To be or not to be?” ____

3. Many generals went to battle yelling “Charge”! ____

4. Leonardo Da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ____

Rewrite each incorrect quote and explain why it is incorrect.

Sentence 1: ____________________________________________________________________

Explanation: ____________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Sentence 2: ____________________________________________________________________

Explanation: ____________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Fix the sentences and rewrite each on the line provided.

1. everyone please have a seat said mrs. Jones who was trying to get the attention of the class.

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

2. the little Boy yelled no

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

3. my mother allways tells me to eat lots of fruits and vegetable to stay healthy

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________


Name During ViewingActivity 1

11

GRAMMAR CONCEPT

I Think . . . Rule . . .

Examples . . . Non-examples . . .



GRAMMAR CONCEPT

Example #1 Example #2 Example #3 orRule exception

RULE

Write a sentence using the rule.



13

CONCEPT

Detail #1 Detail #2 Detail #3

Write a brief explanation using information from the notes above.

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

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Name After ViewingActivity 1

What Did You Say?Pretend you are talking with a friend about school. Write a dialogue using quotationmarks and correct punctuation placement. Illustrate your dialogue in the box below.Have fun and be creative!

You: __________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Friend: ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

You: ___________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Friend: ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

You:____________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Friend: ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________



What Exactly Did You Say?When you write down someone's exact words, that is a direct quote. However, whenyou summarize someone's words, that is an indirect quote. After each quote belowwrite DIRECT or INDIRECT.

15

1. My mother always says that she wants to go to Hawaii for a vacation. _____________

2. The dentist said, "You need to brush your teeth twice a day."________________

3. Ann and Jack both said that they didn't want to have chicken for dinner. ___________

4. "What kind of ice cream do you like?" asked Ms. Davis. ______________

5. The girl bagging the food asked, "Paper or plastic?"_______________

6. "I would love to go to the movies with you," replied Meg over the phone. __________

Change the indirect quotes from above to direct quotes.

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Write your own example of a direct quote. Don't forget the correct punctuation.

Share your quote with a friend.

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________



Do as I Say…1. Divide students into groups of three.2. Assign each student one of the following roles: recorder, speaker #1, speaker #2.3. Have the two speakers carry on a conversation for three minutes. The recorder

is to write everything down. 4. After the conversation has ended, the group needs to format the sentences into

a dialogue using quotation marks, speaker identification, and correct punctuation placement.

5. Have students share with the class.

SPEAKER #1 SPEAKER #2


Name After ViewingQuiz 1

Quotations Quiz 1Fill in the blank for each sentence using the words below.

17

1. Quote is short for _____________________.

2. _____________________ are used for direct quotes, a quotation within a quotation,

and to identify chapters of books.

3. Passing off someone else's words as your own is called _____________________.

4. ____________________ and ____________________ are usually placed inside the

quotation marks.

5. _____________________ are used to identify the speaker of a quote.

6. A _____________________ separates an independent clause from a direct quote.

7. When you write someone's exact words, you are making a _____________________.

8. A(n) __________________________________ is made up of two sentences separated

by a dialogue tag.

9. A _____________________ introduces a quote, word, or a list.

10. To summarize a person's words when writing is to make a(n) ____________________.

periods colon dialogue tags

quotation marks interrupted quote quotation

semi-colon indirect quote direct quote

commas plagiarism exclamation points


Name After ViewingQuiz 2

Quotations Quiz 2Match the letter of the vocabulary word to the correct definition.

A. colon _____ Someone's exact words written down.

B. dialogue tags _____ Passing off someone else's work as yours.

C. indirect quote _____ Punctuation that introduces a word or list.

D. semi-colon _____ Made up of two or more complete sentences.

E. period _____ Separates two sentences with similar ideas.

F. interrupted quotation _____ Identifies the speaker of a quote.

G. direct quote _____ Punctuation at the end of a statement.

H. comma _____ Punctuation often used in direct quotations.

I. quotation marks _____ A summary of a person's words.

J. plagiarism _____ Separates, adds a pause, or forms a list.

Grammar

Have students write poems for specific parts of speech. Each poem should describe thejob of the part of speech or include several examples of that part of speech.

Have students write riddles based on the functions of parts of speech. Students canread the riddles out loud while the other students guess the part of speech.

Play a grammar game. Give each team of students a set of cards that indicate thevarious parts of speech studied. Write a sentence on the board. Teams of students eachsend one player at a time to place a part of speech card below the corresponding word.

Have students color-code sentences. They choose sentences from literature books orcontent-area books. Teams or individual students copy sentences, using the followingcolor code:

Continue this activity in a different way. Randomly pass out cards to students on whichyou have written words using the code. Students then build a correct sentence together.

Have students do word sorting. They choose a paragraph from a piece of writing. Thenthey make a chart of the words of each type of speech they found in the paragraph.Students can then trade charts with another student and check each other’s work.

Develop a magazine scavenger hunt. Students can scour magazines and cut out wordsthat fit the parts of speech categories studied.

Play Scrabble on the bulletin board. Assign colors to specific parts of speech and havestudents add words to the board with each part of speech studied.

Do a poem search. How many of each part of speech can your students find in a poem?

Use the book Jabberwocky. What words can students use to replace the nonsensewords used? Students can also make their own versions in picture books.

Give each part of speech a cents value. Who can find the sentence worth the mostmoney in a literature book or content area book?

noun — 25 ¢ pronoun — 30¢ verb — 35¢ adjective — 40¢ adverb — 50¢ conjunction — 60¢ preposition — 75¢ interjection — $1

nouns — dark blue pronouns — light blue action verbs — dark green linking verbs — light green adjectives — purple adverbs — orange conjunctions — white prepositions — tan interjections — pink

AdditionalResourcesInterdisciplinary Ideas


Make three dice. The first one says noun, noun, verb, verb, adjective, adjective. Thesecond one says N, S, T, L, R, P. The third one says 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 30seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 60 seconds. Team members take turns rolling thedice. During the rolled amount of time, each player is to name as many words of thepart of speech and letter rolled as possible.

Use yarn to practice prepositions. Students stand in a circle with a loop of yarn beingheld by one finger of each student. Upon your instructions, students demonstrate beinginside the yarn, outside the yarn, on the yarn, above the yarn, etc.

Punctuation

Have students make character creations. They create a character completely frompunctuation marks. Then, they write sentences about their character, correctly using thepunctuation marks in their sentences.

Listening for punctuation. Assign each punctuation mark that you have a studied aspecific action. For example, every time students hear a place where a period belongs,they can clap their hands. They might snap their fingers if they hear a place where acomma belongs. This might take some whole group practice with looking at a piece ofwriting on the overhead. Students will eventually recognize locations where the marksare required and understand the purposes of each mark.

Have students scan advertisements in newspapers, magazines, and junk mail forexclamation points. On their own or with their teammates, they decide on whetherthe exclamation points are effectively used or overused. Encourage them to rewritethese advertising sentences to convey the emphasis without using the exclamationpoint for effect.

Help students understand how commas affect understanding by playing court reporter.Ask one or two students to read a passage from their papers or some reading for theclass while the other students write what they say. Then have the reporters prepare atranscript of what they heard, inserting punctuation where they think it is needed. Eachteam should compare the reporters’ versions with the originals and solve any disputesover comma use by referring to the appropriate sections of this chapter.

The apostrophe is a messy punctuation mark and is frequently misused. Help studentssee how popular use is changing the perception of apostrophes by asking students ingroups to examine sections of the Yellow Pages or the advertisements in the localnewspaper to find examples where expected apostrophes are missing. They can alsolook for places where apostrophes are overused. Encourage them to notice suchmisuses and bring them to the attention of the class. Create a bulletin board ofsamples from the real world.

The most troublesome possessive is its, which many students confuse with it’s. Askstudents to keep a list in their journals of places where they see these wordsconfused, including published work and other students’ writing. It’s hunting makes



students learn the its/it’s rule and become more aware of how they use these wordsin their own writing.

Have students do a group editing exercise for punctuation. As a student’s writing draftis displayed on the overhead, other students raise “road signs” to indicate thepunctuation they suggest. For example, a stop sign for a period, a yield sign for acomma, and so on.



AdditionalResourcesClassroom Discussion Prompts


• What are quotation marks? When should they be used?

• What is the purpose for grammar and punctuation?

• How do grammar and punctuation affect our everyday speech?

• How is communicating different in other languages? Do you think they follow thesame rules and use the same grammar and punctuation we use?

• What is dialogue?

• Why is it important to identify who is speaking when you are reading or writingdialogue?

• Give some examples of dialogue (HINT: when reading books, watching television,talking on the phone, shopping).

Below is a list of sites that you may use to find more information about quotationmarks. Due to routine web maintenance, not all of the links will be accurate at thetime of access. If the link is not available, try to conduct a search on that topic from the main site or from a search engine.

abcteach.com Contains ideas and activities for children and parents. It is a good resource forclassroom teachers for reinforcement activities. Student teachers would love this site for the numerous ideas and activities.www.abcteach.com

TeachNet.comTargets elementary classroom teachers. Teachers can visit this site for everything from lesson plans to classroom setting ideas. A popular feature is the advice column teachers from all over can get or give useful tips.www.TeachNet.com

FacultyShack Provides good source for resources and advice for teachers and educators. This site contains advice columns, book reviews, and discussion about currenteducational issues. It also provides feedback about the teaching profession.www.FacultyShack.com

inthestaffroom.com Offers information on school curriculum from state to state. Gives information on many teaching affiliated topics and issues. Great source for first year teachers.www.inthestaffroom.com

OWL.org This online community helps educators gain resources. As a free service of theNational Education Association (NEA), it provides useful knowledge. It allows otherteachers to share their knowledge and experiences within the teaching profession.www.OWL.org

school.NETGives links to other sites for resources, schools, and general information. Parent,teacher, and kid friendly. Good resource for educational needs overall.www.School.net

AdditionalResourcesInternet Sites


SchoolHouseTalk.comContains e-mail news services for classrooms from kindergarten to twelfth grade.Allows teacher and classroom to establish e-mail access. Can be used for writingreinforcement or pen pals for the classroom.www.SchoolHouseTalk.com

standards-of-practice.netInteractive site for professional development for teachers. Site is based on the OntarioCollege of Teachers Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession. Gives insight oncurriculum and standards.www.standards-of-practice.net

Teach-nology Good site for everything educators needs for instruction. Provides links for lesson plans,worksheets, games, and even rubrics. Allows teachers to make their own materials andshare with other teachers.www.Teach-nology.com

Teachers.net Helps educators link up to the World Wide Web. Give resources specific for allteachers. Provides tips for the education community.www.Teachers.net

TeacherVision.com Site features lesson plans and allows educators to submit their own. Gives articles and teaching tools that are best practices. Provides a wealth of resources and more.www.teachervision.com

SchoolExpressAllows teachers to get academic-skill specific worksheets for reinforcement. Also allows a teacher to subscribe to monthly email and publication services. Site is good for additional resource for classroom specific projects.www.freeworksheets.com

Starfall.Com Language Arts is the main subject featured. Provides stories and activities to helpstudents progress to better readers and writers. Allows parents and teachers to sample and give feedback on products.www.starfall.com



Yahooligans!Site is very student-friendly site. Allows students to experience fun, educational games.Provides good ideas for parents and teachers for instruction at home and at school. www.yahooligans.com

Yahoo! Education DirectoryGives an abundance of links to websites and teacher specific web pages. Offers reference materials and online learning communities. Parents, students, and educators are provided with many resources.www.yahoo.com/Education



Answer Key - Before Viewing Activity Sheet 2


Common Proofreading SymbolsInsert a comma here That teacher I tell you is the toughest.

I couldn t remember where I put the keys.

Insert item here I ice cream every night.

Use double quotation marks My favorite story is Ruby.

Use a period here He ate everything on his plate

Delete She has has beautiful clothes.

Transpose elements Sally only ate the green candies.

Close up this space I saw a butter fly.

A space is needed here I need to domy homework.

Make letter lowercase You should Proofread all your work.

Capitalize letter My favorite month is april.

Begin new paragraph “I love it,” I said. “I thought you would,” she replied.

Apostrophe or single quotation mark needed

were

a

Fix the paragraph using the proofreading symbols provided.

One day Tom and Bob walking to school. They saw a gray fuzzy thing behindthe tree

Tom said, "Look at that squirrel.Bob replied "I don't think squirrels are that big"Just then they both heard meow then a rustle in the brown and red leaves.Squirrels don't make that sound either, Tom said with a strange look on his face.They both decided that it had to be something else and went behind the tree to

see it up close. When before they could reach out to touch it, Bob felt a lick on hisfingers and hand.

This is definitely not a squirrel, they both said as they picked up their newdiscovery and carried it to school for show and tell.

and

s

!

Answer Key - Before Viewing Activity Sheet 3


What Do You Know About Quotes?Write C for correct or I for incorrect after each famous quote.

1. “Nothing is particularly hard if you divided it into small jobs,” said Henry Ford. ____

2. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, who said, “To be or not to be?” ____

3. Many generals went to battle yelling “Charge”! ____

4. Leonardo Da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ____

Rewrite each incorrect quote and explain why it is incorrect.

Sentence 1: ____________________________________________________________________

Explanation: ____________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Sentence 2: ____________________________________________________________________

Explanation: ____________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Fix the sentences and rewrite each on the line provided.

1. everyone please have a seat said mrs. Jones who was trying to get the attention of the class.

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

2. the little Boy yelled no

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

3. my mother allways tells me to eat lots of fruits and vegetable to stay healthy

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

C

I

C

I

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, who said, “To be or not to be”?

Many generals went to battle yelling, “Charge!”

The question mark goes after the quotation mark because it applies to

the entire sentence.

A comma goes before the quote. The exclamation point goes before the

quotation mark because it only applies to quote.

“Everyone please have a seat,” said Mrs. Jones, who was trying to get the attention of

the class.

The little boy yelled, “No!”

My mother always tells me to eat lots of fruits and vegetables to stay healthy.

Answer Key - After Viewing Activity Sheet 1


What Exactly Did You Say?When you write down someone's exact words, that is a direct quote. However, whenyou summarize someone's words that is an indirect quote. After each quote belowwrite DIRECT or INDIRECT.

1. My mother always says that she wants to go to Hawaii for a vacation. _____________

2. The dentist said, "You need to brush your teeth twice a day."________________

3. Ann and Jack both said that they didn't want to have chicken for dinner. ___________

4. "What kind of ice cream do you like?" asked Ms. Davis. ______________

5. The girl bagging the food asked, "Paper or plastic?"_______________

6. "I would love to go to the movies with you," replied Meg over the phone. __________

Change the indirect quotes from above to direct quotes.

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Write your own example of a direct quote. Don't forget the correct punctuation.

Share your quote with a friend.

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

INDIRECT

DIRECT

INDIRECT

DIRECT

DIRECT

DIRECT

My mother always says, “I want to go to Hawaii for a vacation”.

Ann and Jack both said, “I don’t want to have chicken for dinner”.

Answers will vary.

Answer Key - After Viewing Quiz 1


Quotations Quiz 1Fill in the blank for each sentence using the words below.

1. Quote is short for _____________________.

2. _____________________ are used for direct quotes, a quotation within a quotation,

and to identify chapters of books.

3. Passing off someone else's words as your own is called _____________________.

4. ____________________ and ____________________ are usually placed inside the

quotation marks.

5. _____________________ are used to identify the speaker of a quote.

6. A _____________________ separates an independent clause from a direct quote.

7. When you write someone's exact words, you are making a _____________________.

8. A(n) __________________________________ is made up of two sentences separated

by a dialogue tag.

9. A _____________________ introduces a quote, word, or a list.

10. To summarize a person's words when writing is to make a(n) ____________________.

quotation

Quotation marks

plagiarism

Periods commas

Dialogue tags

semi-colon

direct quote

interrupted quotation

colon

indirect quote

periods colon dialogue tags

quotation marks interrupted quote quotation

semi-colon indirect quote direct quote

commas plagiarism exclamation points

Answer Key - After Viewing Quiz 2


Quotations Quiz 2Match the letter of the vocabulary word to the correct definition.

A. colon _____ Someone's exact words written down.

B. dialogue tags _____ Passing off someone else's work as yours.

C. indirect quote _____ Punctuation that introduces a word or list.

D. semi-colon _____ Made up of two or more complete sentences.

E. period _____ Separates two sentences with similar ideas.

F. interrupted quotation _____ Identifies the speaker of a quote.

G. direct quote _____ Punctuation at the end of a statement.

H. comma _____ Punctuation often used in direct quotations.

I. quotation marks _____ A summary of a person's words.

J. plagiarism _____ Separates, adds a pause, or forms a list.

G

J

A

F

D

B

E

I

C

H

Script

SCENE ONE - INTRODUCTION

AUBREYFamous quotations by famous people. When you include these phrases or anydialogue in your writing, you’ll need to identify them with very distinct symbols-the quotation marks.

Hi, I’m Aubrey and today we’re going to learn how to use these symbols correctlywhen we quote!

SCENE TWO - QUOTATION MARKS OVERVIEW

AUBREYI speak, you speak, we all speak…and when what we say is written down, it becomes a quotation, or quote for short. That’s one time when we usequotation marks, but it’s not the ONLY time. Quotation marks are used in direct quotations, interrupted quotes, a quotation within a quotation, to identify chapters of a book, and titles of poems, songs, and short stories.

It’s very important to learn how to use quotation marks correctly. Passing offsomeone else’s words as your own is called plagiarism and it could get you into a lot of trouble. So quotation marks aren’t just simple little characters you canuse here and there without a care. They play an important role whether you’rewriting a research paper for school or writing a report for your job.

Let’s see how quotation marks work in a real-life situation. Imagine that you’recreating posters to motivate and inspire the students at your school. You’vedecided to use famous quotations. In order to capture the audience, you’ll haveto find the perfect quotations and correctly mark them with proper punctuation.

CAST

Aubrey ............................................................................hostNarrator ....................................................................narrator


Script

The strength of the campaign depends on your knowledge of quotation marks. It can make or break the whole project; so your quotations must be perfectlypunctuated! Let’s get started with direct quotations.

SCENE THREE - DIRECT QUOTATIONS

AUBREYYou’ll most often find quotation marks used for direct quotes. When you writedown someone’s exact words, you’ll need to set them off with quotation marks.And remember that quotation marks always travel in pairs. If you use one set,you have to close them off with another. Here’s an example:

NARRATOR“Lost time is never found again.”

AUBREYSee how there’s a set of quotation marks at the beginning and at the end of thedirect quote. And notice that this quotation is a complete sentence, so it startswith a capital letter and ends with a period.

It’s important to remember that periods AND commas are usually placed INSIDEthe quotation marks. Like in this example…

NARRATOR“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs,” said Henry Ford,

who perfected the assembly line to make millions of cars.

AUBREYA comma is used to separate the quote from the rest of the sentence. It’s placedBEFORE the closing quotation mark. If we change the sentence to Henry Fordsaid, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” Then a periodis used to end the sentence. It also goes BEFORE the closing quotation mark.

We also need to identify who said the quote, in this case Henry Ford, so we useda dialogue tag.

Dialogue tags may come before or after the quotation, but they always serve thesame purpose, to identify the speaker of the quote.


Script

So far we’ve learned that periods and commas will usually go INSIDE thequotation marks. Now with exclamation points or question marks, it depends on whether those ending punctuation marks apply to the WHOLE sentence or not. If they apply to the whole sentence, then they go AFTER the closingquotation mark.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, who said, “To be, or not to be”?

The question mark applies to the entire sentence, so it goes after the closingquotation mark. If it only applied to the quote, then it would go BEFORE theclosing quotation mark. Let’s see an example with an exclamation point.

NARRATORMany generals went to battle yelling, “Charge!”

AUBREYIn this example, the exclamation point only applies to the quote so it’s placedbefore the closing quotation mark. And there’s no need for a period to end thissentence. The exclamation point and closing quotation mark do just that.

For other punctuation marks, like the colon and semicolon, the rule is different.Colons and semicolons are placed OUTSIDE the closing quotation mark.

NARRATORLeonardo Da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”; however, hiswork was very complex.

AUBREYYou should use a colon to separate an independent clause from a direct quote.An independent clause is a complete sentence, but when it’s used to introduce a quote, you should end it with a colon instead of a period.

NARRATORIn a speech delivered in 1867, Sojourner Truth talked about women’s suffrage: “I want women to have their rights.”

AUBREYThere are times when you don’t need these symbols at all. You won’t be usingquotation marks for INDIRECT quotations. Indirect quotes look like this…


Script

My father often said that if we don’t learn from our mistakes, we are boundto repeat them.

Indirect quotations just summarize another person’s words. They NEVER needquotation marks.

It’s time to look at your first set of posters. You’ve selected quotations by famousauthors to capture the target audience. By now you should know that directquotes are the key to making this campaign a success.

NARRATORWilliam Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage, and the men and womenmerely players.”

AUBREYIn this poster, a comma is used to separate the dialogue tag from the quote.Since the quotation is at the end of the sentence, a period is placed before the closing quotation mark.

NARRATOR“To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else,” said Emily Dickinson,

a famous American poet.

AUBREYIn this quote, the comma comes before the closing quotation mark and then thedialogue tag appears after it.

NARRATORWasn’t it Mark Twain who said, “Twenty years from now you will be moredisappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do”?

AUBREYIn this last example, the comma is once again used to separate the dialogue tagfrom the quote. And it looks like you remembered the rule about question marks.In this case, it's placed OUTSIDE the closing quotation mark because it applies tothe entire sentence.


Script

SCENE FOUR - INTERRUPTED QUOTATIONS

AUBREYThere will be times when you’ll want to interrupt a quotation or break it apart,especially if it’s long. Here’s an example…

“When you have eliminated the impossible,” Frederick Douglas said, “that which remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

In this example, the quote begins, but gets interrupted with the dialogue tag-Frederick Douglas said. Notice the commas- one is placed INSIDE the quotationmark indicating that the quote is not complete and the other is placed after theword said to separate the dialogue tag from the rest of the quotation. Then thequote continues, identified by another set of quotation marks.

If the interrupted quotation is made up of two or more complete sentences, thenthe first letter of each sentence must be capitalized.

“Always do right,” Mark Twain said. “This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”

Now it’s time to look at the posters you created using interrupted quotations.You've selected famous presidential quotes to inspire your classmates.

NARRATOR“The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government,”

Thomas Jefferson said, “and to protect its free expression should be our firstobject.”

AUBREYIn this example, the dialogue tag “Thomas Jefferson said” interrupts the entirequote. A comma is placed before this closing quotation mark and the secondcomma is placed at the end of the dialogue tag. The quote continues, set off withanother set of quotation marks.

NARRATORPeople often say that your friends are a reflection of you. “Associate with men ofgood quality, if you esteem your own reputation,” George Washington said. “It isbetter to be alone than in bad company.”


Script

AUBREYThis interrupted quote is made up of two sentences. The comma is once againplaced before the first closing quotation mark, followed by the dialogue tag and a period. The second part of the quote is a new sentence, so it must begin with a capital letter. It ends with a period, which is placed INSIDE the quotation marks.

Did you also notice that the poster began with an indirect quotation? That’s it.Indirect quotes should never have quotation marks around them.

SCENE FIVE - QUOTATIONS WITHIN A QUOTATION

AUBREYSometimes in a dialogue or conversation you’ll quote somebody else’s words. If that’s the case, then you’ve got a quotation within a quotation and that’swritten like this…

As Eisenhower began his campaign for the U.S. presidency he said, “I hope youallow me to say, ‘Until we meet again.’”

We used the regular quotation marks for the main quote. Then used a singlequotation mark here and here to identify the other quote. When you see the last set of quotation marks then you know you've reached the end of the entirequote.

It’s time to review your latest poster. You decided to use a motivational quotefrom a famous woman in history. Let’s take a look at how you used a quotationwithin a quotation.

NARRATORGraduation is a time for the valedictorian to shine with a moving speech: “At this time, we should remember what Eleanor Roosevelt said, ‘The futurebelongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.’”

AUBREYThe sentence “Graduation is a time for the valedictorian to shine with a movingspeech” is an independent clause. It can stand alone, but since we’re using it tointroduce the quote, we end it with a colon.


Script

The valedictorian’s quote begins with this line. We use double quotation marksaround her introduction. A comma, placed after the dialogue tag, separates onequote from the other.

Since the valedictorian is quoting another person, the single quotation marks areused. They show where Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote begins and ends. Finally, thedouble quotation marks end the entire quotation.

SCENE SIX - OTHER USES FOR QUOTATION MARKS

AUBREYYou can also use quotation marks to identify chapters of a book and titles of poems, songs, and short stories. Titles of major works are usually underlined or italicized.

When you select…let’s say a chapter of a book, then you’ll put that chapter title in quotation marks.

My favorite chapter in The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is “The Royal Banquet.”

Notice that the title of the book is underlined since it's a major work and thechapter within the book is identified by the quotation marks. You’ll also usequotations for titles of poems...

Robert Frost wrote “The Road Not Taken,” a poem we read in English class.

And songs…

Do you think the best song is “Don’t Cry for Me”?

And short stories.

Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” has beenadapted in several movies.

You’ll also use quotation marks when you quote a couple of lines from a poem. Use a slash between the lines to indicate when one line ends and the other begins.


Script

Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” contains references to sailing: “Aboard, at a ship’s helm,/ A young steersman, steering with care.”

In this sentence, both the title of the poem and the lines from the poem havequotation marks around them. This separates one line from the other.

SCENE SEVEN - REVIEW AND CONCLUSION

AUBREYWell, we’ve covered a lot of information about quotation marks and themotivational posters were a big success. And it’s all because you knew how to use quotation marks correctly! Let’s review the rules one more time.

Quotation marks are used in direct quotations, interrupted quotations, a quotation within a quotation, to identify chapters of a book, and titles of poems, songs, and short stories.

I’m sure from now on you’ll have no problem using quotation marks when you write. And with that little vote of confidence, here’s an activity you can do to get started. Have fun!

NARRATORWriting dialogue is a great way to practice using quotation marks. With a friend or a group of friends, write a story with lots of conversation between the main characters. As you write the dialogue, remember to use quotationmarks correctly when the characters are speaking. For even more fun, create a set and showcase your acting abilities!


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